Death Toll In East At Least 270

The Ukrainian government has confirmed 270 deaths in the Eastern provences of Donetsk and Luhansk since operations began against the militant rebels this sprinng

According to the health ministry which based its figures on bodies handeled by morgues , 225 people have died in Donetsk and 45 in Luhansk , it clarified a statement by the health minister on childs deaths , saying 14 reported victims had died of illness

Reports say two children were killed in Sloviansk this month , a boy aged 12 and a girl aged six died as a result of shrapnel wounds , according to a preliminary report issued by a regional health offical on Tuesday

The town of 120,000 , a stronghold of the separatist rebels , has come under heavy bombardment as fighting continues between rebels and government forces

Local residents told reporters on Wednesday , that it was virtually a ghost town , with most of the town center destroyed and most outer residential areas also heavily damaged , as well as all of the towns factories

Health minister Oleh Musly was originally quoted by media as saying 14 children had been killed during the "anti terrorist operation" the health ministry revised figures include 15 women

Mr. Musly said the death toll did not include bodies removed by the rebels themselves "Let me stress it once again , these are the ones (dead bodies) admitted to the morgues of various health facilities" he told Ukraine's channel 5 T.V.

"We do not have any information about the rest of them , both identified and unidentified which the terrorists have moved them out of Ukraine , because we do not co operate either with the (self proclaimed)Donetsk People's Republic or any other terrorist organisation"

Reporting the deaths of the two children to Ukraine's 112 news agency , Donetsk health official llya Suzdalev did not say when they occured

Ukraine's new President Petro Poroshsnko has ordered the creation of humanitarian corridors so civilians can flee areas of the East hit by conflict , thousands of people are thought to have been displaced by the fighting

Most of Sloviansks residents have fled though no one knows exactly how many , residents told reporters

Both the separatists and some Ukrainain organisations arrange buses daily for those wanting to flee , they said , the main worry for all evacuees is how to support themselves , most reportedly prefer to go to Russia , where they believe they are more likely to find jobs  thann in other parts of the Ukraine

The Presidents promise of humanitarian corridors has not impressed the residents , who worry that the "anti terrorist operation against their town is about to be stepped up there are no reliable estimates of casualties from the daily bombings , personal stories from blogs and chat groups paint a desperate picture